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Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 10:35 pm
by pHilli0
nickw6666 wrote:Some great points here. Thanks for the thoughtful feedback.

Keeping the Z4M until I'm happy with the 997.2 does make a lot of sense. Just have to sell 335i but this is proving useful as a beater as I have a 75 mile round trip office commute 3-4 days a week.

A great point regarding another option of saving myself £35K and going for a mint C2S. I assume this would be a Gen1 etc. Great cars and great value and this solves the other issue I have as to whether PDK or manual. The gen1 tiptronic is a no no for me.

The PDK is impressive on the 997.2 GTS but I think the manual is still the best. So hard to find though. When I drove hone from the Porsche dealer I so enjoyed the manual and raw driving experience of the Z4M, which made me think.. Hang on a minute here...! :o

I am in the financial position at the moment where I can keep both so maybe best option. Another would be to not buy the 997.2 GTS and stay with my two current cars for now, and in the interim try a manual gen1 997 C2S.

The one thing I really liked about the Porsche above all else was the fantastic brakes. I'd love to have the Z4M brakes as firm as the GTS. Is it possible to get stock Z4M brakes to have a really firm pedal like the GTS with better brakes lines and fluid, or is the sliding calliper too much of a compromise compared to the fixed calipers of the Porsche?

My car is an Imola Red Z4M coupe January 2007 with 31,000 miles. Drives great on Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres which I think make a huge difference.
For relatively little money you could turn your Z4M into something that would equal the 997 in so many areas. Brakes, suspension etc. Spend around 5k and you will close the gap a surprising amount to the 997, and then question even more if it warrants the massive outlay.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:10 pm
by Babw
I'd tend to disagree with the above.

What makes the 911 special is the fact it seems better than the sum of it's parts. The delicate balance of the chassis, the traction compared to a FR setup and what seems perfect weighting of the controls for the weight/power/size the 911 is. I'm sure you can spend on an Z4M and beat a 911 around a track but as a road car you don't get the same interaction as you feel like you're in a bit more of a battle to keep the thing on the road.

If I had to have one car to drive quickly and regularly with toys + refinement then Porsche wins but it doesn't have that imperfection which the Z4M does so I don't think they would fulfil the same role.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:26 pm
by dalecan
Nick,
I was in this position a couple of weeks ago when my Z4MC sold within 2 hours of the advertisement (I'd owned her for 5 years). As soon as she sold I though, "Oh no, what have I done.'

All of that anguish was immediately forgotten when I collect my 2012 V8VS! The drive home from Saratoga CA to Seattle was an immediate love affair. I miss the MC, but the new purchase is not regretted one bit.

You only live once!

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 8:47 am
by nickw6666
Good point. One of the areas I do really like about the 911 over the Z4M is the rock solid brakes compared to the soft pedal of the Z4M, even though the actual stopping power is similar.

I could look at upgrading brakes such as different pads, braided hoses, upgraded fluid etc or even a BBK.

In terms of outlay it would be a lot less than a 997 GTS! :o

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 8:51 am
by nickw6666
dalecan wrote:Nick,
I was in this position a couple of weeks ago when my Z4MC sold within 2 hours of the advertisement (I'd owned her for 5 years). As soon as she sold I though, "Oh no, what have I done.'

All of that anguish was immediately forgotten when I collect my 2012 V8VS! The drive home from Saratoga CA to Seattle was an immediate love affair. I miss the MC, but the new purchase is not regretted one bit.

You only live once!
Great pics of your before and after. The Z4M looks gorgeous but I can see why the AM V8S replaced it etc. Lovely looking car. Sometimes you just have to go for it! :cry:

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 3:21 pm
by stevo///m3
nickw6666 wrote:
dalecan wrote:Nick,
I was in this position a couple of weeks ago when my Z4MC sold within 2 hours of the advertisement (I'd owned her for 5 years). As soon as she sold I though, "Oh no, what have I done.'

All of that anguish was immediately forgotten when I collect my 2012 V8VS! The drive home from Saratoga CA to Seattle was an immediate love affair. I miss the MC, but the new purchase is not regretted one bit.

You only live once!
Great pics of your before and after. The Z4M looks gorgeous but I can see why the AM V8S replaced it etc. Lovely looking car. Sometimes you just have to go for it! :cry:
Why not just use a bit of initiative - sell your M privately but with a condition - that being that if you don't like or want to keep the Porsche after X period of time (a year, 18 months, say?) then you have a contractual agreement with your buyer that you can buy it back from them. Obviously they won't just agree to that - so say you'll pay £500 more than you sold it for or something and limit the time period during which the condition applies. After the period ends, if you haven't bought it, it's because the Porsche is the right car for you. And the buyer is not allowed to sell to anyone else unless he's offered it to you first and you've declined, having matched the agreed price (and no funny business from him arranging for a mate to agree to buy at £30k or other daft price). Simples. You could imagine up all sorts of parameters if you really want, based on mileage, condition, any mods etc etc but the principle is fairly simple, you just need a buyer who is prepared to accept that kind of deal and everyone has their price.
Stevo

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 3:29 pm
by ZermattV
I would have thought keeping it for 6 months then selling it would simpler.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 10:55 pm
by stevo///m3
ZermattV wrote:I would have thought keeping it for 6 months then selling it would simpler.
unless freeing the cash for the Porker is a requirement. Is it?
Stevo

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 11:21 pm
by Barrow
I've just done this swap.. From my z4m to a Porsche 997.1 turbo...
Love it, great fun, easy driving and a good looker.
But I keep thinking about the z. I miss there raw quality of the BMW.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 11:47 am
by MrPT
Barrow wrote:I've just done this swap.. From my z4m to a Porsche 997.1 turbo...
Love it, great fun, easy driving and a good looker.
But I keep thinking about the z. I miss there raw quality of the BMW.
Just spent some time driving a 997.1 at moderate speeds and I agree, it is very easy to drive. The scuttle is very low, it feels like a small car, and the manual box is very light in comparison to the Z4M. It was almost dull! The cabin (with full leather) is also a lot more luxurious, although the centre console fascia, with all the little buttons, has aged terribly.

As a passenger in the same car, on some high speed but imperfect roads, you get the impression that the Porsche is leagues ahead. Unbelievable brakes, composure and road holding, and the sports exhaust sounds mental at full chat.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 12:33 pm
by Gustavo7
I felt exactly the same when I test drove a BMW M4 last year.

The M4 is great fun, louder, faster, more dramatic...but then I got back in my Imola Red Z4M Coupe and got exactly that "Hang on a minute!" feeling.

I also would love a 911, but a normal S doesn't even make me blink. The GTS sounds interesting and if you can run both for a period of time that would be the way to go so you could decide later without any regrets.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 1:24 pm
by nickw6666
Some great points again. I think keeping the Z4M would be easier than trying to organise a buy back, as most people wouldn't entertain that anyway. This key here is I do have enough funds to cover keeping both.

The GTS is a great car but I do wonder about the economics of running it everyday, as they are probably quite mileage sensitive compared to the standard 911's in terms of resale. I did see a similar age and spec C2S for £15k cheaper so the GTS are commanding a premium but lots of miles as a daily commuter might not be a great idea.

As for the driving experience, if I were to use the GTS as a second car I'm starting to think I would prefer the engagement of the manual gearbox version rather than PDK, especially if the car replaces my Z4M.

All in all I'm thinking of hanging onto the Z4M for now.

Interesting about the Gen 1 997 drive. I drove a manual not long ago and thought it great as well but not as raw as the Z4M so I think there is truth in the possibility of keeping the Z4M as a weekend drive and maybe a standard 911 for everyday to replace my current 335iSE daily driver, which is great but a bit boring at times.

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 6:35 pm
by Barrow
Image
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This is mine

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 6:52 pm
by ZermattV
looks nice :thumbsup:

Thinking of selling Z4M coupe after nearly 9 years - possible move to 911 997 GTS

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:37 am
by nickw6666
Barrow - that's a really nice looking Porsche 997 turbo. I bet that is an absolute missile... :driving: